South Africa's 'Bladerunner' - 09 Jul 07

[quaxk]

controversy notwithstanding, those prosthetic legs are awesome

[zolutuk]

can anyone tell me how much those prosthetic legs cost ?

[KAJUNAzN]

i have to rite a essay about this... IAAF can be crazy sometimes... i hope he gets into 2012 olympics!!! oscar ftw!! :D

[MTed165]

How can having no legs be an unfair advantage? WTF?

[CommentGuy92]

unfair advantage? you talking bout the guy with no legs?

[leostoltoy]

A great athlete AND he hunts down androids. What a champion.

[ben321999]

i've met him before

[PrdTB]

Opinion: He did not know the springs gave him an advantage.

Fact: The athletics board concluded it gave an unfair advantage, and ruled against him competing.

Fact: he got jailed for assaulting a woman.

Opinion: he's a real stand up guy, and a hard worker.

Fact: The athletes he competed against worked just as hard, or even harder than he did.

My opinion: You pity him because he has got no feet, but you have only seen this video and know nothing more about the whole thing.

[HelloIdiotsWhatsUp]

Actually, the "Fact: The athletes he competed against [...] or even harder than he did." is not a fact. That last part especially is an opinion. And it IS a fact that he didn't know it gave him an advantage. Who could guess prosthetic legs would give someone an ADVANTAGE?

I never said he was a good person, just a hard worker. Big difference. But two facts are right, the first and second. Though the second is completely irrelevant to skill as an athlete.

[PrdTB]

There's lots of children in africa who will never be so fortunate to get prosthetics, and i still say he's fortunate in many ways.

I'm not obsessed with this, i'm just replying to you. I told you earlier i'm not interested in arguing with you.

Now go fuck yourself and do not reply if you don't expect an answer back.

Looser.

[HelloIdiotsWhatsUp]

*Loser.

[PrdTB]

If he competes it wouldn't be fair - that's the bottom line, and that's why they didn't allow it. - now get over it.

[PrdTB]

Hey Bin Ladins Buddy, I,m happy with the hand i've been delt , -thank you. But I'm also not a chancer that tries to cheat my way into the Olympics. Now go on you Merry little way and try to grow a brain.

Restrain from using the Lords name in vane.

[themagus187]

Fuck you, piece of shit.

[PrdTB]

Bravo, that was a real intelligent comment.

[HelloIdiotsWhatsUp]

Ah, don't talk about intelligent comments. Your first comment has more typos than a second grader's first essay.

*Bin Ladin's *buddy, *I'm *dealt *merry, *Lord's *vain, there's more but it's a waste of time.

If you're gonna try to be witty or something at least don't fuck up the spelling so badly. It's embarrassing.

This guy is amazing and you know it. Just because you can't run that fast with BOTH your legs doesn't mean you get to try and tear down someone with actual skill at something.

[PrdTB]

Excuse me for my spelling, but this is not my first language, and i can admit that i probably made a couple of mistakes.

BUT THE FACTS REMAINS - HE TRIED TO CHEAT.

[HelloIdiotsWhatsUp]

But the fact remains he DIDN'T. He's been an amputee all his life and has obviously worked harder than almost anyone has (I feel safe saying especially you) to get where he is today. He just wanted to run with other people.

Plus, he wanted to compete but once they said it gave him an advantage then he didn't try anymore. He had no idea that being an amputee with these fill in legs would give him an advantage. I HIGHLY doubt you had any idea as well.

[PrdTB]

I don't really want to argue with you because you are only stating your opinion which is in a great deal un-informed. I'm also a South African like Oscar, and i think i understand he's situation better than you do. I'm also a athlete and had the honor to wear the South African National colors about 10 years ago.

If you want to talk about hard work, you should look at the athletes who Oscar tried to cheat out of their place in the team.

PS, your Hero Oscar got jailed a week ago.(for assault)

[HelloIdiotsWhatsUp]

If what I'm saying is an opinion, then what you're saying is an opinion. Don't say the "*fact remains" that he tried to cheat.

Just because you are a South African doesn't mean you understand the situation any better than a drunk monkey does. And I know you have a delusional idea that he tried to cheat, but don't say he didn't work his ass off to get where he is. He is DAMN fast, faster than anyone I know.

He's not my personal hero, just a guy who worked hard to get where he is. I respect that.

[PrdTB]

You can say whatever you want, he might have worked hard at his cheating.

In my eyes his still a spoiled rich guy that gets everything handed to him because everybody sees a poor disabled guy, but in reality his is reality very fortunate there is no need to pity him.

Now, what do you have to say about him assaulting that girl, you know it all!

[HelloIdiotsWhatsUp]

I'm not talking about his personal life. I'm addressing his skill as an athlete, which you seem to have no respect for. It's actually kind of ridiculous. "Everything handed to him"? He's a DOUBLE AMPUTEE!! How do you not understand that? That's not fortunate!

He works just as hard as other pro athletes, just as hard as Usain Bolt does. Even if he wasn't an amputee, being that fast deserves respect, and calling him a "spoiled rich guy [etc]" is disrespectful to not just him but all pro athletes.

[PrdTB]

How is it disrespectful to other athletes if I say he's spoiled and rich, - that has got nothing to do with him being an athlete. He is the one that is being disrespectful towards the sport, the other competitors, the judges etc by trying to cheat. He was also disrespectful to that girl he assaulted.

When I said he was fortunate, i meant by having the best medical help, otherwise great health (except for being an amputee) and heaps of other opportunities -no need for him to cheat.

[HelloIdiotsWhatsUp]

When I said etc. I was including that bit about "everything handed to him". Yes, he had his prosthetic legs handed to him. I'm sure he wouldn't give those up, what a treat! He was fortunate for a PERSON IN HIS SITUATION. A kid at my school was born with the same condition this guy had, but got great health care. I really don't see how that's lucky.

And holy obsessed, it's gonna take a while to reply to all your comments! Just chill out, stop being so obsessed with this

[PrdTB]

Look at the 1st video again at approx 25 sec into the video, he started breaking records after 8months of training - that is not due to hard work, that was due to the blades he used - nothing to do with hard work.

He probably worked hard at it later on, but the blades made all the difference.

You are right, I have got no respect for cheats, - would you like it if i compete while I'm on steroids/ roller-skates etc??? This argument will most probably just keep on going in circles.

[HelloIdiotsWhatsUp]

Do the math. 8 months of intense Olympic training. 8 months is roughly 243.5 days. That is a HELL of a lot of work, but maybe that's just "my opinion". I feel like that might be just an eensy bit tough.

Yes, the blades made a difference. But stop trying to disrespect his skill as an athlete and the work put into it. He didn't wind up competing. Just be happy with that. And for your own health, stop being so obsessed with the guy.

I'm done here, so say what you will. You won't get any argument.

[MiszBxRoyalty]

TINK TINK TINK ! Bent Over Paper Clips !

[20RealisT09]

KATT WILLIAMS!

[emonnite]

you freeking idiots its your brain that springs.

Gee9Force keep up the good owrk ;)

[PrdTB]

Emonite you brainless Numb Skull, This story is more than a year old, and it's since been proven scientifically that the blades gives him a minimum advantage of 25%

He was trying to take a chance and probably make a few quick bucks.

I bet you although he wants to compete in the olympics with able bodied athletes he probably still parks in a disabled parking.

He's probably less disabled than all the Brainless idiots like you who fell for his scheme. Losers!

[OkurkaBinLadin]

Why don´t you cut your legs off too then, buddy?

THEN you can be sure nobody has a "minimum advantage of 25%" on you.

I mean Jesus Christ! Think before you write.

[PrdTB]

The prostheticist does'nt tell the whole story - IMAGINE THAT. (Gee9Force What kind of a name is that, are you auditioning to be a Power Ranger, or is it some kind of multi-vitamins for retards) Grow a brain moron!

[PrdTB]

It's not true that normal legs are 100% efficient, and when he uses the blades he surely uses some of the power that he puts in through his upper leg muscles, BUT HE ALSO PUTS IN HIS WHOLE UPPER BODY WEIGHT (Momentum) WHICH THE SPRINGS THEN TURNS INTO FORWARD MOTION. Its basic std 6 science, He's probably also got about 5% to 10% longer strides because of the spring effect. (Normal legs does'nt have the spring effect) I would just love to see him run with old fashioned artificial legs.

[KacanuHa]

The thing is, it takes WILL to put these things on and start to RUN, when EVERYONE tells you, that you CAN'T RUN. It takes will, it takes SPIRIT. I can only dream of his will.

[Suckmydog1]

if he ran with old fashioned artificial leg he would have no tendons or muscles or movement in his feet all key points to sprinting the cheetahs just compensate for these missing parts they dont give him an unfair advantage he dosnt even run the same time as oylmpic 100m sprinters he is slower

[OkurkaBinLadin]

All those idiots saying he is at advantage should be reminded, that the stud has ABSOLUTELY NO feelings in his feet and that it takes shitload of physical strength to gain speed, to get moving at all with that piece of metal in place of your legs.

[PrdTB]

Gee9Force, you watch 1 video that's totally one sided and you immediately believe all of it.

I might have put it arrogantly earlier, but please read "victorragusila" comments.

The legs can most probably give him a huge advantage,

[PrdTB]

OffCourse his Docters / Trainers / Family will take his side.

[PrdTB]

Just accept the fact that the athletics board ruled that his not allowed to participate and stop crying.

Bet you if this was 20 years earlier and the Angola South Africa war was still on he would have pleaded that his unable to do National service, but now he wants to be Mr " I win all the gold medals".

[PrdTB]

8 months of practice an he wins two world records, off course the springs gives him a huge bloody advantage - no doubt! Sorry about his legs, but allowing him will be unfair.

[Gee9Force]

it's not the blades, it's the man. he did not practice for just 8 months, what rubbish, this is a lifetime of pushing himself. and remember, he doesn't have feet or ankle joints so when he runs his whole body weight jars down onto his stumps - imagine that before you say again that he is somehow floating on springs! he can't feel the ground under his feet as he runs - just imagine that. in fact, just watch this entire video and listen to what his prostheticist has to say...

[NaMeanSA]

What an absolute INSPIRATION

[margoMMO]

Парень просто молодец!!!!

Слава Богу!

[saveoursofa]

What an absolute champion

[Qdrum803]

Poor little tink tink

[DortmundGirl]

Wow, this letter of the IAAF is so rude and discriminatory! ^^

[bubble4dash]

what an insperation.wow our lives are pretty good

[TeamCrusade]

I 2 fully working arms and 2 fully working legs. I an currently a minor beer belly, and I wish I could 1/3 of that Oscar does. The only reason he is so good is cause he trains hard and is disciplined. I on the other hand eat too many whoppers.

[gutsy1003]

How can they say the blades give him an advantage? If that's the case, why don't all the other athletes also cut off their legs and use them too? Nobody stopping them from doing that.

[goldensleeves]

gutsy1003, I don't think that's a relevant argument because most people, especially athletes, wouldn't want to cut off their legs even if they were GUARANTEED a gold medal. Likewise, Pistorious can't have the option to get his legs so I don't think the argument is valid. In fact, if he had that option I suspect he would choose legs. Regardless, I think people should consider what is fair, not whether we feel sorry for someone. Personally, I'm not sure if it's fair or not but I suspect not.

[Brianpv1977]

I am single leg amputee, I think of him as a hero and an inspiration god bless him, and I wish you much luck in life its a battle just with 1 leg so, I feel that he deserves everything that happens to him, he is amazing.

[stephenouma]

Oscar is nothing if he had real legs.

[Brandonlcosta]

But he doesn't, and he is something because of it.

[stephenouma]

Oscar is fast because of science and Technology. Then Oscar tried to play the race card.

[sarah88b]

Thousands of athletes use the same technology as him, and he's the only one running times close to those of Olympic qualification.

[streetsurfer14]

Yeah, shame on him for being a double amputee. You sound like such an ignorant prick saying that. I bet he would give up all his fame for a chance to just have a normal life. What a stupid bastard you must be.

[stephenouma]

All Im saying is that he has a unfair advantage because he does not have to worry about foot pain for spraining a a muscle or anything.

[trova19]

I agree in the advantage that those springs give, but the pain I disagree completely, the amputees must be very careful the protesis can be really bad for the skin where they are attached, have you ever had a hurt in your feet? yes it hurts everytime you step, imagine that in your knees and 10 times bigger.

[Nadmira]

others r just jealous of him being so good

[Nadmira]

WOW o.O he let me see how lucky i am with two legs..but still i hope that he dont give up and will be allowed to the olympics

[bewaix]

I'm proud of him.

[assweeping]

he is a south african hero

[bubblechubby]

i aint dissin nobodies country or anything bt i'd like to say dat ,dats how we south africans do

[DeRobestkiBrothers]

he's amazing. my hero

[andreaoffshore]

Oscar is an example for the mankind. An example of the definitive TRIUMPH OF THE WILL ! THE TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRIT OVER THE MATERIA...KEEP GOING OSCAR !! DON`T GIVE UP ! SOONER OR LATER THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ALOUD YOU TO RUN IN THE OLIMPIC GAMES !

[youtubby01]

what an awesome athlete. He should be given the chance to compete with "normal" athletes in each and every competion/championships.

[ldeglan2910]

advantage? ok, if the people say that Mr. Pistorius has advantage, so, the other athletes would be run uhm let me think... perhaps without sport shoes special for running... or without clothes made with special material for care the body of the hot? uhmm think about.. now many things are created to make the sports more confortable and to make best records... in all sports!!

[nahlsy]

The fact that we've gotten to the point that a double amputee actually has an advantage over Olympic callibre sprinters is simply amazing. Who'd have thought we'd ever see the day where losing both of your legs would be considered as an advantage when it comes to running?

[hamstaromega]

this is fabulous!

[victorragusila]

" they say our legs act as springs. That is not true.. you put some energy into them, and you get back some of it, but not 100%" (prostetic maker for OP)

that of course, it is EXACTLY what a spring is!! and what normal legs are as well ( tho not as efficient as the C blades)

[victorragusila]

ever seen a pole vault jump vs a normal jump? ever swam with flippers vs normal feet? of course he gets an advantage...he shouldnt be patronized, but respected. And he should respect the rules...

[lowendgamer]

How can they not accept him cause his legs "give him an advantage?" Not natural. Obviously, I guess human feet have spikes AND starting blocks built into them by nature.

Robert Gailey, an associate professor of physical therapy at the University of Miami Medical School, who has studied amputee runners. According to Gailey, a prosthetic leg returns only about 80 percent of the energy absorbed in each stride, while a natural leg returns up to 240 percent, providing much more spring.

80%.

[victorragusila]

a leg cannot RETURN more than 100%...the springy legs ARE much more efficient than a normal foot, since they do not need oxygen. I havent read those papers, but i read others mainly in the robotic walking/running field. Springy legs are very very efficient. Human legs, when they run, try to behave like springs, but can only achieve so much, due to muscle design

[jackal94]

This guy is faster than I thought. I am doing a debate on him in school. If anyone knows any more information about him that might want to tell me please send me a message about what you know. I would really appreciate it.

[battar]

INSEGUENDO PISTORIUS: URZEDOEW SI TAGLIA LE GAMBE PER UN RECORD

Urzedoew (49"04 sui 400) ha preferito ricorrere alle protesi speciali, simili a quelle di Pistorius, arrivando a tagliarsi le gambe, dopo aver esaminato con il suo allenatore i tempi elaborati in simulata al computer. Urzedoew ha dichiarato: "Il dramma per me sarebbe ora di finire a correre con i disabili e non con i normo dotati". Lo IAFF, infatti, non ha ancora dato l'autorizzazione.Sul mio sito l'intervista.

[Herb3k]

That's a true athlete with the heart of a champion!!!

[bldot1]

What an inspiration to all, well done young man!!!

[joecrosley]

That's a wonderful piece of reporting. I guess the Olympics qualifying board doesn't want people chopping their legs off so they can use springs instead.

[kbouic]

It's going to be virtually impossible to say if there's an advantage or not. Just add another event into the regular Olympics, where amputee runners run, preferably the same day as the ordinary races. If their results and times are better than the regular runners, who are the disabled ones?

[kgydkgyd]

Very interesting point of view, indeed.

[DeBaimbo]

I think there's an obvious (maybe small) advantage, because normal legs are a lot heavier than those blades. So his thighs have to raise up less weight when he's running.

[kamikaz67]

if he's able to defeat able bodied athletes, next thing you know, hardcore runners are going to start chopping their legs off just to get those artificial legs.

[adamstivala]

ha ha ha, that's great!

[lester729]

hey okay! full bodied athletes aren't afraid of these gimps--noooo! just get the IAAF to decide that those artificial legs are the 1st step to the cyborg and we can't have that! makes me ashamed of humanity, eh?

[scigoat]

welcome to age of homocyborg. Its a brave new world. get used to it.

[guyitang]

it should funny some people complain the artificial limb giving they guy more "Advantage". I suppose the high-tech shoes may giving an "Intact" runner more help than the blade if there was a match between them

[zerooneboy12345]

Oscar Pistorius is an inspiration to everyone and especially to amputee's, think about it. Imagine the inspiration to child amputee's, he shows them they have everything to live and strive for, just like anyone else. This guy is a hero and he doesn't have an attitude, nice to see for a change. I wish him all the luck in the World, I wish you all the luck in the World too, we all need people who push themselves to inspire us, this helps all of us. Go Oscar!

[EmperorAtahualpa]

Hey he's not a blade runner! He's a "faker"...the newest type of replicant. :)

[paulric75]

Ampie Louw, specializes in Amputies?

[mo1elftausend]

The human leg is not designed to go maximum speed. So it might be possible to get a advantage.

[Haitashi]

Artificial legs give you an advantage?! That's lame

[090405]

it's ridiculous how they say the bio legs or whatever give him the advantage, but this video is very inspiring.

[ArchNME]

psssh, he doesn't even hunt androids. Lame.

[markkaminsky]

ha ha ha!

[Haitashi]

ROFL!

[rjbonacolta]

They would have covered that, but it made the segment too long.